Team Alberta QB Candidate Buckley


Being invited to this spring’s Football Alberta selection camp came as a big surprise to young quarterback Andrew Buckley.

It shouldn’t have.

Last year, the QB led the Rundle College Cobras to an undefeated record, winning 14 games, and the Tier 4 provincial championship.

The 16-year-old, Grade 11 student will lead his team again next year as it attempts to repeat as provincial champs.

“I was definitely surprised to be invited to the U-18 thing. I still have another year left. So I thought that would come next year. It’s just a fun thing to go to,” he says.

So, what will he be working on in preparation for the selection camp?
“The speed part and strength part and the accuracy and just stuff related to reading defences,” says Buckley.

And while he will be setting his sights on the selection camp, in the back of his mind he will be looking ahead to next year and trying to duplicate this past year’s stunning season.

“We’re starting our offseason training programs to get guys thinking about football and get guys in the weight room to get bigger and faster and we’re just keeping things in the football mind, so that they don’t forget about it and lose the skill,” says Buckley. “And we’re getting lots of young guys coming up from earlier grades thinking about playing football.”

A big change in Buckley was his height as he grew several inches from the previous season. He’s now five foot 11 and weighs 160 pounds.
The added height was a big boost for him on the field.

“Oh yeah, big time,” he says. “You’re bigger and you can see more of the field and cover more field when you’re running because you get faster.
“It just opens holes and lanes that you wouldn’t have seen when you’re a smaller player.”

Dennis Holowaychuk, the Rundle College football coach, says at the beginning of last season Buckley wasn’t very big.

“But he’s so intelligent when it comes to football and really understands the game of football,” explains the coach.

“He just makes very good decisions and then over the year he probably grew three or four inches. Finally, the size has caught up a little bit to what we want him to be.

“He’s developed into a great mind, a great head for the game, really a calm young man. Nothing really gets to him too much.

“He’s developed a good strong arm and great leadership skills as well. He’s turning into something very special, that’s for sure.”

Holowaychuk says Buckley doesn’t have a “huge arm,” but throws the ball accurately 40 to 45 yards, and he throws well on the run too. He’s the team captain, never misses practices and is competitive, but supportive of his teammates.

“He’s sensitive to the needs of some of the younger guys themselves. He’s a complete package, in my opinion,” says Holowaychuk.

The Team Alberta Selection Camp will be held May 7 to 9 at Foote Field in Edmonton.

A 40-player roster will be chosen to represent the province at the Football Canada Cup, July 10 to 18 in Wolfville, N.S.

Source: The Calgary Herald

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